Phillippe Mouchel

June 1997

Update: at the end of November, 1997, Restaurant Paul Bocuse closed. Chef, Phillipe Mouchel, in partnership with wine auctioneer, Stuart Langton, started a new restaurant, Langton's Restaurant and Wine Bar with Phillipe Mouchel, at 61 Flinders Lane, Melbourne. It opened in early August, 1998. Phillipe has now left and as of late 2004 had opened at Crown Casino.

Philippe Mouchel, the grand chef of Paul Bocuse restaurant at Daimaru, has finally settled and made his home in Melbourne

It’s six years since he came from Tokyo with Tomoko, his Japanese wife and their two children, Emily now 14 and Nicholas,11.

The children, both fluent in Japanese (and of course, English) enjoyed Tokyo but have adjusted very well to Melbourne.

“There is lots to amuse children there,” says Philippe, “lots of computer games, a very quick way of life. But here they are doing much more sport, the facilities are much better for that.”

For Philippe it’s a difficult question about where he would ideally like to be, “ If I hadn’t been in Australia, I might go back, but the way of life is so comfortable.”

For Tomoko there is no question, “she would go back anytime” to be with her mother and brother. And would Philippe return to his family and to France? “I left 20 years ago, I am not sure I could go back now.”

After doing an apprenticeship in his native Normandy (at the Hotel le Grand Cerf, Evreux) Philippe went to work in Bordeaux where he met Roger Jaloux, chef for Paul Bocuse. The 19 year old was invited to go to work in the famous kitchen. “It was fantastic, I stayed 2 years at Bocuse, then 6 months at Roger Verge and then Mr Bocuse said to me, I’m opening a restaurant in Tokyo. Do you want to go. I was only 22. I said, I think I’m a bit young. And he said, no no, it’s good for you - go , go. So I said, ok. I go and I stayed four years.”

Philippe also worked for Paul Bocuse in Hong Kong, then a year at the Hotel Meridien in Houston and then back to Tokyo at the Hotel Okura, an experience he remembers well. “A very big hotel, very professionally run (but) then Mr Bocuse invited me to go to open his restaurant in Melbourne and, so of course I came.”

Philippe’s task here was to oversee the opening of both the restaurant and the Paul Bocuse French Food Boutique at Daimaru. Now he organises and chooses all the menus for the restaurant and still “looks a little at the pastry in the bakery.” Philippe says that he is very pleased with the standard of baking under Philip Chiang, a Chinese pastry chef trained in Tokyo, Taipei and Hong Kong.

Philippe is constantly besieged by staff wanting to work at Paul Bocuse, Melbourne, but he can only employ seven in the kitchen. “There are many staff who want to come and learn with me... I give out my recipes, there are no secrets, I am happy if they use it, of course. They work very hard, they are doing long hours, so why not.” The team now have all been there at least two years and, Philippe says, “they are a very good team, very nice people, very enthusiastic.”

But he wearily admits that “most staff who come here have to be taught from scratch.” Why? “The standard of training is just not the same. A third year apprentice just cannot compare with one in France, it’s like night and day.”

Philippe says that in France young cooks just have to work harder “They go to school and they work in the restaurant as well and they’ve got a lot of homework always. I think the education is more difficult. They learn more. It’s more demanding, We should be pushing them harder here.”

So would Philippe return to France? “Probably to retire,”

He laughs, talking with relish about the inimitable taste of French butter, chickens and cream. Normandy is still part of his palate, despite his Japan experiences (the freshness of Tokyo’s sushi) the distinctive taste of South Australia’s bush lamb, the quality and value of Australian beef and all the things which have made Melbourne a great place to be a great chef. We appreciate his food and winter is the time to eat with real gusto. Philippe is currently planning for the ultimate winter dinner on July 18 which will feature mushrooms and game.

Let’s hope that Philippe Mouchel continues to cook his fine classic French menu and to train those lucky chefs who manage to get into his kitchen. Paul Bocuse is open for dinner Tuesday to Saturday and for lunch. It’s food of rare quality.

A 1999 interview (and recipes) with Phillipe Mouchel.